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“He’s distracting them. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say he’s trying to wake you up and alert you to the danger.”
The tears against my cheeks are hot and coming in way too fast for me to wipe away as I crawl out onto the landing that overlooks the living areas.
I stay as close to the wall as I can, trying desperately to keep out of their view, and even though I long to check on Ace, I force myself not to. I hate the idea of him being hurt because of me, it makes me sick to my stomach, but I know in my fucking soul he would never forgive me if I went down there to save him, and I can’t do that to him again. I won’t.
“You’re doing great, Mia,” Everett says through the phone I have balanced awkwardly between my shoulder and ear.
“Enough!” Kyle yells, and a moment later, there’s a loud thump that stops me in my tracks.
“Keep going, Mia. Don’t stop. Ace will be okay. Our team is a few minutes away. Just get yourself into the panic room now.” The urgency in his tone makes me think everything is not okay, but I keep moving.
My breaths are choppy from the effort it’s taking to keep moving despite the panic, but I reach the bedroom I’ve been sleeping in without pausing to check on Ace, even though my heart aches for me to do exactly that.
I quietly push the door open and crawl inside, closing it with a quiet click.
“You’re out of my sight now, Mia. There are no cameras in the bedrooms, but you remember where the panic room is?”
I gulp. “In the closet.”
“Exactly. Close the door behind you as soon as you get inside and pull the dresser in front of the door. It will slow them down if they come upstairs.”
“Are they coming upstairs?” I choke.
He pauses and lets out a breath. “I think they’re about to, which is why I need you to keep moving for me. I know you’re scared, but we will keep you safe, I promise.”
I force a deep, steadying breath into my lungs before standing and moving toward the closet. I don’t have that many items of clothing, so it’s pretty sparse in here, but at least it makes it easy to move around.
I close the closet door with another quiet click, the sound of footsteps on the stairs making me move a little faster.
“You okay, Mia?”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “I’m just putting the phone down for a second to move the dresser.”
“Okay. I’m going to open the panic room for you while you do that.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding because, although the memory of them showing me how to use the thing is in the back of my mind somewhere, it’s currently lost in the panic swirling around, so I didn’t love my chances.
I place the phone down on top of the dresser, and as quietly as I can manage, I shuffle it in front of the door. The sound of the panic room door sliding open drags my attention from the task at hand for just a second, still mind-blown that there are people who have things like this in their homes. The dresser is solid wood and heavy as hell, and as someone who has only just started eating more than once every day or two, my strength is lacking.
“Everett, I don’t think I can do this,” I say as I pick up the phone.
“That’s okay, Mia. I need you to get inside the panic room for me.” He’s trying to keep his voice calm, but all that does is confirm they’re getting closer.
“Everett?” I whisper as I move closer to the small room that is nestled between the master bedroom and the gym.
“Mia, now.”
I don’t waste another second, quickly ducking down before crawling through the small door. I’m just as struck by the space as I was the first time I came in here. It’s much roomier than you would think, with a full-size bed and a couch. There’s a television on one wall, while another has several screens showing the downstairs area.
I shuffle further in, stopping to lean against the wall as soon as I’m clear of the door. “I’m in.”
“Good work, Mia. I’m closing the door now. The only way to get in will be for either you or me to press the override button. Do not do that unless you’re sure you’re safe. I would prefer you stay in there until I say it’s clear.”
“Okay,” I whisper, watching as the door slowly slides shut.
The sound of the bedroom door slamming open makes my breath stop in my lungs, and I’m frozen as the footsteps grow closer.
“Everett.”
